In many business transactions, it is often necessary to assemble a complex set of documents in order to complete the transaction. Folders are a common way of organizing such documents. Some of the documents may be available from inception of the transaction, while others may be received or created as the transaction progresses. Certain documents may need to be available prior to commencing work on various transaction-related tasks. In addition, a number of people may need to work on the transaction simultaneously, all of whom need concurrent access to the transaction information. It is necessary that all the documents relating to a single transaction be tracked, and that none of the documents required for completion of the transaction be missing.
Using a conventional electronic file system, documents may be organized using a hierarchical arrangement of named folders or directories into which other folders or documents may be placed. Typically, the directories are arranged to group documents by common criteria such as subject matter or a customer ID. The documents may then be accessed directly by users with basic tools such as File Manager, a program that allows a user to navigate a directory tree and select a desired document.
A significant drawback to using a hierarchical file system to organize documents is that the transaction folder is not a separate entity, but is tightly linked to the storage hierarchy of the electronic storage device. This precludes distributing the folder to users who may be outside the organization. It also complicates sharing transaction documents among multiple users in situations where all users do not have access to the same electronic storage devices, as in a distributed processing environment. A further drawback is that file system folders are relatively unstructured, making it difficult to ensure process consistency from transaction to transaction.
Several programs provide for shared structured data objects for use in a collaborative environment. For example, Lotus Notes organizes information as “forms”, where each form is made up of fields that may be of particular data types such as text, number, time, and rich text. Electronic documents can be attached to a Notes form either as embedded or linked documents. However, Lotus Notes does not provide a mechanism to allow users to specify in advance not only where documents of a specific type are to be stored, but also to identify documents specifically expected to be created in the future. Further, Lotus Notes does not provide for a structure flexible enough for optimally organizing and managing collections of transaction documents.